Cry, Baby Mario! Cry loudly, because that's clearly what everyone loves about this franchise… oh wait, it's Yoshi!
In Yoshi's New Island, you again take on the role of everyone's favorite enemy-to-egg transformation device and rideable dinosaur, Yoshi. Baby Mario remains as annoying as ever, when knocked from his back by enemy contact. You eat enemies and somehow Yoshi turns them into eggs, which you would think would make him a girl dinosaur, yet we constantly refer to Yoshi as a he. Yoshi, like Birdo before him, is apparently trans, and that's very progressive and forward thinking of a Nintendo game.
Built for the 3DS, Yoshi's New Island is similar to New Super Mario Bros. 2 in its 2.5D presentation. The world and characters look like they are built in 3D, but it maintains the same side-scrolling action that the series is known for. The children's book aesthetic is still present, but it's an odd mix with the 3D visuals that takes a little getting used to. If anything, it's too detailed, with the different painted mediums almost drawing attention from the game.
Still, it's a gorgeous game that will likely be a welcome addition to fans of the series, and immediately familiar, but with some interesting new mechanics. It's slated for release in 2014 on the 3DS.
